Washing machine



Aug, 15,1950 f w. o. MANLEY 2,519,060

- WASHING MACHINE.

7 Filed Nov 10, 1944 r I INVENTOR. H a/v'ew QMmr/ey rroR/wsr.

Patented Aug. 15, 1!)

WASHING MACHINE Warren 0. Manley. North Kansas City, u... as-

signor, by direct and mesne assignments, to 0. Earl Hovey, trustee, Kansas City, Mo.

Application November 10, 1944, Serial No. "2,784

" therewith for oscillating the same about an axis disposed with particular regard to the material dumping openings formed at each end of the tub.

One of the primary aims of this invention is to provide a washing machine for handlinl clothes or the like, which has as a part thereof not only the aforesaid specially positioned openlugs for shiftable means within the tub for selectively holding articles therein while liquid is poured frcm the tub as its substantially flat bottom is held at an angle to the horizontal by the driving means.v

A still further object of this invention is to provide a washing machine with a tub that is equipped with a number of openings, through which the liquid or solid article in the tub, may be selectively passed through the employment of the action of gravity.

Other objects of the invention include the precise form of the tub; the driving means therefor; the special manner of providing a mounting for the tub; and the several manually controllable actuating elements for moving the aforesaid shiftable means and the closures for the several openings to and from a selected predetermined position.

Further aims of the invention will appear during the course of the following specification, referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig.- l is a top plan view of the washing machine made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 1.

, Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end elevational view illustrating the, operating means and latch for one of the end closures.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated comprises a tub, broadly designated by the numeral III. This tub is formed of sheet material and includes a substantially flat bottom l2, merging into upwardly and rearwardly curved end walls ll, side walls It. and a top is, wherein is formed an access opening 20, closable by door 22, hingedly mounted as at 24 and latched closed bysuitableparts 26.

Arcuate end walls ll of tub ll continue inwardly and downwardly to present a pair of lips It which cooperate with the inner contour of the '5 Claims. (01. 08-173) tub in establishing figure eight path of travel for the washing solution and the articles being cleansed.

Tub It is carried by frame work It including a transversely disposed shaft 32 secured to bottom I! of tub II and journalled in bearings ll, forming a part of frame ll. This shaft 32 is at the medial line between ends it and permits tipping of tub ll during operation.

Tracks 88 on the bottom wall I! of tub ll. serve as reinforcing elements and friction plates for the hereinafter dmcribed mechanism.

.Opening 88 formed in tub ill at the zones of juncture between bottom l2. and arcuate end walls It are covered by closures l0, hingedly mounted as at If and latched in place by lock 44 when the washing machine is in use. Lock N has a handle ll for manually moving the dogs of. the loci: from the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4 to a location where the do not engage the respective closure Ill-thus, when tub in is in the position shown in dotted lines of Fig. 2, for example, the contents of tub It may be emptied from the interior of the tub through the opening II at the left thereof, as viewed in Fig. 2.

A partition 48 swingably disposed within tub III, is made of foraminous material or provided with a sumcient numberof perforations to alow water to quickly traverse the partition when it is in the position shown in full lines of Fig. 2. In

. this position stops it preclude movement about the shaft I2 upon which partition as is hung. A manually manipulable lever it permits swinging partition 4. to the dotted line position (Fig. 2), when the tub is being tipped during normal use. This lever II has a "past center" action including a spring ll and pinte ll of conventional character to insure that partition la is yieldably maintained in either one of the two positions illustated in the drawing.

Actuating mechanism for tub It is positive .in that cam mounted on transverse shafts I! on each side of the axis of oscillation 3! always engage'tracks it. There is a pair of cams I on each side of shaft 32 and shafts .62 that mount cams I. are synchronized to a connecting sprocket chain 84. One of shafts I! is operably joined to motor Bl through a conventional speed reducer Cl, if such be desirable. Obviously, shafts 62 are iournalled for rotation in bearings I0 on frame 3| and the cams are so timed as to insure constant interengagement between their peripheries and the respective tracks 3..

During operation of the washing machine above described and illustrated in the accom- 3 panying drawing, tub I is tipped about shaft 82 by cams l0 and the contents thereof is thrown through paths of travel established by curved end walls It and the lips 28 thereof. These figure eight paths insure positive distribution of the soap or other detergent in the wash water and the clothes being treated are separated to such an extent that a quick and eflicient first-wash and rinse is assured. During this washing operation, partition 48 is in the position shown in dotted lines of Fig. 2. When washing has been completed and the water is to be emptied from tub II), it is stopped in its movement with the bottom I2 downwardly inclined toward a. trough 12 adapted to receive waste water and conve it to a drain. In this position, closure 40 is released by manipulating its lock 44 whereupon the same will I swing open and allow the water to flow through opening It.

Partition 48 has previously been dropped to the position shown in full lines of Fig. 2 while all of the articles in tub in were in the righthand portion of the tub and as it was in a position to so hold the articles through the action of gravity. Obviously. partition 48 will hold the articles against escape through the lowermost opening It as water is rushing into drain l2. Stops it receive the load and therefore, no tendency on the part of partition 48 to move while the liquid is being drained is present.

The articles are removed with speed and disatch from tub II, by merely tipping the tub in the opposite direction or to an angle where opening 38 in the righthand end of tub I0 is low enough to allow the articles to slide by gravity along bottom l2 and thence out through opening 38. Look 44 is first manipulated to permit closure 40 to swing to the open position.

Partition 4! is disposed to one side of the center of tub It to the end that the mass of articles being washed may be collected to that side of the partition having the greatest volume and yet leave suilicient room for the partition to swing from the dotted line postion shown in Fig. 2.

It may be desirable to eliminate partition 48 and if so, the opening at through which the cleansing solution is drained, may comprise a number of; small openings or a foraminous inner shell that precludes the escape of solid articles, such as clothing, when the tub is tipped to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2. for the purpose of emptying water therefrom.

The bottom I! of tub It has a pair of ribs ll disposed at each of its end zones to act upon the contents of the tub as it is moved through the flgure eight paths of travel. The clothes being washed will impinge upon these and zones as tub I0 is rocked about the axis of shaft 82, whereupon lateral movement is imparted thereto. 'Ihls lateral movement is with respect to the longitudinal central axis of tub It for the ribs It are in V-shaped patterns with the apexes directed toward the same end of tublli. Obviously, as the clothes travel toward the ends, the respective sets of ribs It will move them toward and from the center of the tub. Ribs It must be relatively short with respect to the length of the flat bottom I! of tub II in order to accomplish the desired result.

Washing machines having physical characteristics different from those illustrated and described might be made to embody the instant invention without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

4 Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as'n'ew and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

i. A washing machine comprising a tub having an opening in each end thereof adiacent to the bottomof the tub; doors for the openings: a shiftable partition within the tub for dividing the interior thereof into two compartments, each having one of the openings in communication therewith; and mechanism for holding the tub at angles of inclination where the action of gravity may move the contents of the tub through one of the openings.

2. A washing machine comprising a tub having an openingin each end thereof adjacent to the bottom of the tub: doors for the openings; a shiftable partition within the tub for dividing the interior thereof into two compartments, each having one of the openings in communication therewith; and mechanism for holding the tub at angles of inclination where the action of gravity may move the contents of the tub through one of the openings. said partition being provided with perforations permitting flow of liquid from one side of the partition to the other.

3. A washing machine comprising a tub having an opening in each end thereof adjacent to the bottom of the tub; doors for the openings; a shiftable partition within the tub for dividing the interior thereof into two compartments, each having one of the openings in communication therewith; and mechanism for holding the tub at angles of inclination where the action of gravity may move the contents of the tub through one of the openings, said partition being pro-.

vided with perforations permitting flow of liquid from one side of the partition to the other, said partition having parts exterior of the tub for swinging the partition to and from the normal position forming said two compartments in the tub.

4. In a washing machine, a tub having a list bottom; structure adapted to support the tub for tipping, oscillating motion about a transverse axis on the median line of the tub substantially in the plane of the bottom thereof, and means for moving the tub about said axis comprising cams on each side of the axis, power-applying means in connection with the cams, said cams being formed and disposed to maintain constant frictional contact with the bottom of the tub as it is tipped, and tracks on the outermost face of said bottom of the tub for receiving said cams.

5. A washing machine comprising a tub having an opening in each end thereof adjacent to the bottom of the tub; doors for the openings: a shiftable partition within the tub for dividing the interior thereof into two compartments, each having one of the openings in communication therewith; and mechanism for holding the tub at angles of inclination where the action of gravity may move the contents of the tub through one of the openings, said partition being provided with perforations permitting flow of liquid from one side of the partition to the other, said partition having parts exterior of the tub for swinging the partition to and from the normal position forming said two compartments in the tub, said parts including means for yieldably holding said partition in either said normal position or in an inoperative position placing said compartments in unobstructed communication.

WARREN O. MANLEY.

(References on following page) REFERENCES crrnn Brown Feb. 10, 1920 Number f Name Date Madsen June 26, 1923 Voss Nov. 6, 1923 Belding June 18, 1940 Long Sept. 2, 1941 Kirby Mar. 14, 1944 Gaudet Jan. 15, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Dec. 8, 1911 

